Watch out for old 3-way switch setups in these 1920s houses

Got called for a simple switch swap in a 1920s bungalow, but the traveler wires were tied together in the attic junction box with old cloth tape. Spent 4 hours tracing the whole circuit with my toner before I found the hidden splice. Anyone else run into this kind of nightmare with knob and tube remnants?

4 comments

4 Comments

the_willow2mo ago

Sounds about right for a 1920s special... those old houses love their little surprises.

miles_hall2mo ago

Used to believe old houses were just poorly made until I found a hidden dumbwaiter in my own place. It really shows how differently they built things back then. Makes you wonder what else is hiding in plain sight, right? Those little surprises are part of the charm now.

quinna892mo ago

Wow, that's a cool find!

robins831mo ago

Isnt it wild how those old timers would just wrap stuff in cloth tape and call it a day? @miles_hall you mentioned hidden dumbwaiters, and it reminds me of this one time I found a whole switch plate just painted over and blended into the wall in my own place. You pull it off and behind it is this tangled mess of fabric wrapped wires and crumbling rubber insulation. Makes you wonder how many other shortcuts are tucked inside these walls waiting to pop up when you least expect it.